Good morning all. Sorry for the delay in my (unscientific) review. I picked up the Range AFM Disable device Saturday AM and had a chance to check it out in the afternoon. Hope the below is helpful. Remember... (as I have asked before) if you have particular scenarios tested that are not covered in this Initial Review, please PM me and I will try to help you out.

Also remember... I have no affiliation with Range Technologies and am receiving no pay or promise of future benefits for doing this. I did receive a free device, but that is just because I was first to respond when Adam offered it. Thank you.

This review is intended to provide non-scientific test results of the operational effectiveness of the Range Technology AFM Disable device for the 5th Generation Chevrolet Camaro (V8 only) equipped with 6.2L engine and automatic transmission (L99). Vehicle tested was a 2013 1SS L99 Coupe with 1,875 miles, running on high (93) octane Shell V-Power gasoline. That said, I am providing the following results broken down into two main categories: Device Installation and Performance.

1. Device Installation was a very simple process. The device plugs directly into the On Board Diagnostics (OBD-II) port, located under the dash in the driver’s compartment. The port is to the left of the Hood Release lever (see photo). The device can only be plugged in one way so it should not be a problem for anyone to install.
NOTE: I installed the device with the ignition in the full OFF position, even though no directions provided stated to do it that way – just made sense to me. I will neither plug in nor unplug the device with the ignition on.

Recommendation to vendor(s): The installation instructions provided are on the back of a business card, as you know. When I opened the box (very nice and professional packaging by the way) the card was horizontal and slipped down between the outer and inner packaging and I really only found it by mistake. I suggest placing the card vertically between the packaging (see photo) so it is easily visible to the customer. Installation may be a no-brainer to those who know their Camaros inside and out but many Camaro owners are novices, at best, and may not know where the OBD port is located.

2. Vehicle Performance tests were conducted to cover a variety of scenarios. Several times I requested that C5 members send me their particular scenarios that they would like me to test. Unfortunately, only one person PM’d me with a request for a specific scenario. Therefore, I tried to cover all the conditions where the AFM might be an issue in hopes that my review would be sufficient to assist potential buyers of the device, based on performance alone. The following is my review of those scenarios.

NOTE: None of these tests were performed at Wide Open Throttle (WOT) since I do not believe AFM is an issue under WOT.

1st Scenario - Engine start up. Nothing fancy here. I installed the device and cranked the engine up, looking for any signs of a Check Engine Light (CEL) or any other out of the ordinary indications. Nothing. All systems normal. I didn’t even know the device was there other than the pretty blue light it cast on my left foot (suggest you offer different colors for those who have colored foot lighting) - not an issue for me.

2nd Scenario – In Drive Mode, normal acceleration, flat road. Engine operation smooth. Shifts smooth. No lag. No issues. *This is one scenario where I sometimes feel a lag around 3rd or 4th gear shift. Don’t know if it’s the AFM trying to kick in or not, but I did not experience it during the test.

The following scenarios are ones that would more likely cause the AFM to kick in. Tests were conducted both with and without Cruise Control set within the mph range tested. Each scenario included a ¼ mile or so of sustained speed and then acceleration of the type that would normally cause a driver to “feel” the affects of the AMF system.

8th Scenario – In Drive Mode, Low speed operation (25-45 mph). Engine operation smooth. At various cruise speeds, no feel or sound of AFM present. With slight acceleration, no feel or sound of AFM present. No lag. No issues.

9th Scenario – In Drive Mode, Medium speed operation (50-65 mph). Engine operation smooth. At various cruise speeds, no feel or sound of AFM present. With slight acceleration, no feel or sound of AFM present. No lag. No issues.

10th Scenario – In Drive Mode, Higher speed operation (70-85 mph). Engine operation smooth. At various cruise speeds, no feel or sound of AFM present. With moderate acceleration, no feel or sound of AFM present. No lag. No issues.

I also performed similar test scenarios to 8, 9, and 10 (with Cruise Control on) going up and down some small hills to see what it felt like when the car downshifted on its own, to maintain the cruise speed. Going uphill, the transmission downshifted in all three speed ranges and I could not sense and hesitation of involvement of the AFM system. Apparently the downhills were nor severe enough to warrant a downshift, so no results are reported.

Summary: I was very satisfied with the performance of the device, when I was performing a test scenario that I know from experience would have caused the AFM to activate – it did not. I believe from a performance standpoint, the Range Technology AFM Disable Device performs “as advertised”. It was nice not to feel as though there was any lack of power (4 cylinder mode) and acceleration from a cruise status was crisp and non-hesitant. I will continue putting myself in different situations that (without the device) would likely engage the AFM system, and report any additional findings. Meanwhile, if any C5 Forum Members can come up with other scenarios that I have not covered, please PM me and I will attempt to test it. Again – no WOT or drag racing requests. I do not beat my car. Thanks you all. Hope this is helpful.